Trick
by theurbanproject
Summary: Miscommunication usually leads to disaster, who would have thought it would work out for the better? - Emerald Events, Tensaishipping


**A/N:** I'm 99% confident that Wallace would act in this way. Of course you can always criticize me in reviews - to which I will respond in much appreciation.

**A/N2:** This is based off of a conversation a friend and I had about how Beldum was presented in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

**And as usual, if I owned Pokémon I would have released a RSE remake already.**

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Wallace sat, observing the Pokéball that was before him. With his hands folded his vision stayed fixed on the object. In the kitchen, Steven had been off to prepare tea. The odd aroma of Rawst and Pecha tea filled the air.

When Steven returned, he placed the tea down and looked up. "It's not like of you to suddenly drop by," he casually noted, "not that I mind anyway."

Wallace broke his attention from the Pokéball, "What's wrong with wanting a chat?"

"It's nothing…" Steven's thoughts trailed off, his focus on the Pokéball, "…I was expecting someone else actually."

Wallace raised an eyebrow, "Anyone in particular," he asked while taking a sip of the Pecha tea.

Steven's attention was really fixated on the Pokéball. He briefly breaks away to respond, "Brendan. I wanted to give him a Beldum."

The other man nodded, finally understanding the situation. "Steven, I know you, and I don't think jumping to the proposal is exactly the best way to approach this."

Steven was about to drink his Rawst tea until the comment nearly made him panic. He frantically responds, "That's not it at all." He fumbles with the cup of tea and ignores the fact blood rushes to his ears. When he recovers from his slight spazz-attack, he continued, "Brendan mentioned he was helping Professor Birch fill out the Pokédex, I thought I would be able to help."

Wallace looks up, and responds, "Is that all?"

"Well," Steven averted eye contact, "it's also my congratulatory gift for him becoming champion."

This time Wallace places the cup of tea down and turned pursed lips into a grin. Steven flinches at the response but becomes more alert to the front window. He catches a glimpse at what might have been Brendan's trademark white beanie. Going with his instincts he rushes out only to find the boy had already taken off.

Steven turns a heel and walks over to his desk, pulls out a paper and begins writing; all while disregarding Wallace's presence. "It's a shame," Steven sighed, "Today was my last day I'll be home."

"Are you going on another hunt?" Wallace asked.

"Yeah," still fixated on putting his thoughts down on the paper, "I'm going to Meteor Falls. There's a stone my father wants me to look into." He puts the pen down. "Done." He then places the letter and rushes out the door, "Sorry, Wallace, change of plans."

Wallace had no time to respond; Steven's final words were barely audible. Something along the lines of cleaning up and closing the door on the way out. He glanced over at the letter.

_To Brendan,_

_I've decided to do a little soul-searching and train on the road. I don't plan to return home for some time._

_I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to take the Pokéball on the desk. Inside is a Beldum, my favorite Pokémon._

_I'm counting on you._

_May our paths cross someday._

_Steven Stone_

Wallace sighed, cleaning up the cups, and left. Perhaps, Steven, he thought, they will cross sooner than you think. As he leaves the villa, he recalls the talented trainer's victory against him. The slight glint his eyes it gets when he notices a fault on one of his Pokémon or the slight twitch of a smirk that appears when the moment of the battle is just right hinted the man the young trainer was incredibly brilliant.

He calls out Milotic to take him back home to Sootopolis. Steven, Brendan, the voice in Wallace's head continued, your paths will certainly cross much sooner than you think.

* * *

Steven sat cross legged, and sighed. "Another day and still no sign of the sun stone," he complained nonchalantly to his Metagross.

Metagross did not verbally respond, accustomed to the slow findings, it only could edge its master on to be patient.

Both of them became alert at the sound of footsteps. Before them, was Brendan.

"Oh, wow, Brendan," Steven spoke slightly unfazed, "I'm amazed you knew where to find me." That's a lie, he told himself, you were the one who said you would climb a waterfall for a rare stone. "Do, you, uh…maybe think of me as just a rock maniac?" Well, he argued with himself, it's not like you presented yourself much in any other way.

The boy shook his head, his expression serious.

"No, that can't be right. We battled alongside each other at the Sootopolis Space Center." Steven felt the words beginning to fumble out. Good job, he criticized himself, you're so nervous you can't even remember your own hometown. "You should have a very good idea how good I am."

"I know." Brendan murmurs, his countenance unchanged.

"Okay, Brendan," he pulled out Skarmory's ball, "if you're going to mount a serious challenge, expect the worse!"

* * *

It was down to the wire, Metagross was at its limit. From the looks of it Brendan's Swampert looked like it was dwindling with a sliver of energy left. One last mighty earthquake from the over-sized mudfish finally brought down the metal arachnid.

"You…" Steven struggled to find the right words, "I had no idea you had become so strong."

Again, the voice in his head nagged him, you're lying to yourself.

He sighs and begins to tend to Metagross's wounds. He begins to ramble slightly, "Come to think of it, ever since our paths crossed in Granite Cave in Dewford, I had this feeling." Steven pulled some Sitrus salve to help ease the pain of Claydol's wounds. "I thought you would eventually become Champion. My predictions usually come true."

He paused, waiting for the boy to respond.

While waiting, Steven turned his attention then to Skarmory. He continued without waiting for the trainer to respond, "And where you will go from here?" He paused, fixated on winding the bandages around the metallic bird's wings. Then, he looked up idly at the cavern ceiling and chuckles slightly, "…Even I couldn't tell you that."

At this point he presumed Brendan silently made his cue to leave, now applying Oran and Sitrus salve on both Cradily and Armaldo. It had not occurred to him that the young trainer was also helping him until he realized the bandages he kept receiving were because he kept handing it to him. With that Steven made a sharp turn in shock.

"How long have you been here?" he asks frantically.

Brendan rolls his eyes at the oblivious man, "Obviously I haven't left." He turned his attention to his Pokémon, whom were resting. "I can't take them to the Pokémon Center right now because they're that exhausted, and I don't have a spare escape rope on me."

Steven noticed a slight flush in the young trainer's cheeks, "And…I wanted to ask you something."

The man nods, waiting for the question.

"A-are you …" Steven observes intensely as Brendan fidgets with the Pokéball between his fingers, "…dating Wallace?"

Without a moment's pause, Steven burst into a fit of hysteria. Skarmory rolled its eyes, unsurprised by its Master's response. _I swear, I wonder how I let an idiot like him capture me. _

Metagross, who also seemed to be aware of the sudden event only shrugged it off with Cradily and Armaldo. _I don't know why you're complaining **now** after all these years. _

"Ah, I'm sorry," Steven apologizes. It finally hits him why Brendan had fled that day, "It's nothing like that. Really."

Brendan wasn't convinced, "Then why were you blushing?"

Steven had to rack his brain slightly; then he recalled Wallace's comment. "Well," his face was beginning to heat up, "Wallace kind of, described the Beldum I gave you kind of like a w-wedding ring." He looked at the young trainer who expressed a sudden change of expression, ecstatic, maybe?

"Is it?" Brendan asks eagerly.

Not wanting to give a direct answer, Steven took his hand and ran it through the silver-blue hair. "Well, i-if you want. I kind of wanted to wait a bit fir – wait a minute you want to marry me?"

It was Brendan's turn to blush, he responded with averted eyes, "Uh…well, if you don't mind." He meekly looks up with his heart racing.

Again, Steven chuckled slightly. "I don't mind, but I don't think that Beldum would appreciate us using it as an item like that."

Wordlessly he nodded.

Steven then took the moment's chance to embrace the boy and quickly peck him on the forehead. "I promise to get the ring when the time's right."

Through the muffled response Steven heard, "it's fine, really."

The events turned out better, Steven thought to himself during the embrace, maybe Wallace did the trick after all.

εnd

**A/N3:** By "trick" I just mean Wallace being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

**A/N4:** This is also my attempt to justify the typo in Pokémon Emerald.

**A/N5**: If you haven't noticed already, I enjoy making puns/references based on Pokémon moves.

**A/N6:** It's kind of...weird humor. Go with me here.

**And as always review, critique, flame, or whatever floats your boat. **


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